Street-sweeping machine



B. KERN.

STREET SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19. 1914.

1 ,325,296 Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Qvi l'ucmca:

' uNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD KERN, OF SANDUSKY, OHIO.

STREET-SWEEPING MACHINE.

foreign matter as may be cleaned from a' street or road surface directlybeneath the machine in its travel across said surface, but ada ted toalso collect matter disposed laterally of the machine, usually thegutter portions of a street, into which gutter portions it isimpracticable to drive a heavy machine.

My invention embraces the employment of a brush ada ted to loosen fromthe street surface the re use deposited thereon, and to throw suchreleased matter into the range of influence of a volume of air adaptedto travel upwardly through a nozzle and conduit of proper shape and bedischarged with the products carried thereby into a dust separating andcollecting mechanism.

The invention further contemplates in connection with the foregoingelements, a nozzled air conduit projecting laterally from the machineadapted to'be placed in operative association with such places as streetgutters, and in this instance the nozzle may be used alone or be alsoassociated with a brush for initially loosening the material from thestreet surface.

When using a moving volume of air as the elevating and carrying mediumfor street refuse and dust, the density of air must "be maintaineduniform throughout its travel in performing its lifting function, whichcorrespondingly involves the maintenance of a uniform combined area inthe air nozzles and conducting portions, as compared to the like area ofthe trunk or main conductor into which the conduits from the two or morenozzles open. Therefore, the invention further involves the combinationof a plurality of air nozzles and conduits leading to a common trunk ormain'conductor, the area of the main conductor being uniform throughoutand the combined areas Specification of Letters latent.

Application filed November 1 9, 1914;. Serial No. 878,004.

of the several conduits being equally uniform throughout the extent ofthe same, so that the travel of the volume of air, whether through thesingle or main conductor or divided through the branch conduits, will bethe same at all times throughout its course, so that there will be nostagnation of the volume of air and the refuse borne thereby at anypoint, which would permit the air to lose its hold on the refuse, andthereby permit a deposit of the latter in the conduit and accumulationssubsequently added thereto, resulting in the clogging of the apparatus.

In the accompanylng drawings, I have illustrated the preferredembodiment of my invention, and the characteristics of the same aboveoutlined, together with many other improved details in construction andarrangement of parts will be apparent from an inspection of saiddrawings in connection with the specific description hereinaftercontained.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a street sweeping machine, shown merelyin a fragmentary way, suflicient only to make clear an understanding ofthe present improvements.

Fig. 2=is a detached elevation of the gutter brush, associated partsbeing broken away, looking toward the front or direction of travel ofthe machineindicated by the arrow, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a face view of a slightly modified form of nozzle.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters designate corresponding parts in the several views, Arepresents a rotary sweeper brush driven by suitable gearing from adrive shaft B, operative from any suitable source of power, as a motor Amounted upon the frame B of the machine, and which brush is designed toloosen the material from the street surface and throw the same withinthe influence of a lifting and conveying volume of air passing throughthe mouth C of a nozzle D arranged in close proximity to the brush, theair being given its movement by a suitable'fan, the blades and eye ofwhich are shown in dotted lines at E, and from which the dust laden airis discharged through a pipe. F to any point desired, for furthertreatment or deposit. The nozzle D opensto a cylindrical trunk or mainconduit G, which leads to the fan casing, said trunk being of uniformcross sectional area throughout, the lower end of the trunk beingflattened and elongated to conform to the upper end of the nozzle.

The broom is supported upon arms H piv otally mounted upon the shaft Bat opposite ends of the broom, and said broom is counterbalanced in itsaction through the medium of weights 1 on pivoted levers 1 associatedtherewith, as shown.

The brush and nozzle-mechanism thus far described is designed to removethe refuse from the street, as it is found directly be neath the machinein the travel thereof over the street-surface, and to enable similarcleaning of the gutters, or, ortions of the street laterally of themachine, the following means are furnished, to wit: J is a revolvinggutter brush projecting beyond the side of the machine and having itsaxis arranged preferably at an angle to the line of travel of themachine. This gutter brush is adapted and arranged for travel next tothe curb, in the gutter, and to throw the contents of the gutter awayfrom the curb and into the path of the main brush A. The brush J isjournaled and partly inclosed within hood or case K, which incloses theupper part of the brush in any well known and approved manner.

The broom with its said hood K is pivotally mounted in a bearing L insuch manner as to permit it to oscillate.

M is a frame in which the bearing L, above referred to is formed. Thisframe is also provided with separated bearingsll loosely mounted so asto slide to a limited extent upon the driven shaft B, the shaftconstituting a pivotal support for the frame. The frame M is mountedbeneath the machine and on the intermediate portion of said shaft Bbetween the pivoted broom supporting arms H, the frame nor mallyoccupying a position inclining rearwardly and downwardly from the shaftB, or awayfrom the direction of travel of the machine.

Adjustably secnred to the shaft B by means of a set screw or the like isan abutment or block (1, between which and the right hand bearing N ofthe frame a spring P is interposed spirally wound around the shaft B.The block just referred to forms a stop for the adjacent end of thespring P so that the normal expanding action of the spring, engaging atits opposite end the outer or right hand bearing N, will force the frameM outwardly and project the broom J carried thereby to the right of themachine in position to brush the gutter, the spring enabling thegutter-brush to yield should the end of the brush contact with the curband 'tend to break or impair'the device,

masses The block 0 is adjustable to initially compress the spring, asdesired, against the outer bearing N, it being understood that thelatter positions against the inner face of the outer swinging arm H orfixed parts immediately adjoining the same, as will be readilyappreciated. Connected with the shaft B and'with the shaft of the broomJ is a'fiexible shaft Q, of any approved character Which,when the shaftB is rotated, imparts a like motion to the brush J. It is the left handend of the shaft B to which the flexible shaft Q is applied,-see Fig. 2.

At a suitable point to receive the dust thrown upwardly by the gutterbrush, the hood K is merged into a nozzle R having an elongated narrowmouth 7*, merging into a conduit S which communicates with anddischarges into the front side of the mouth piece or nozzle D, asindicated at T. The conduit S is preferably in the natureof a flexiblehose, as will be obvious. The purpose of the hose is, of course, toconduct the dust elevated by the gutter brush and discharge the samewith the air acting as its vehicle into the mouth-piece of the mainconduit (1-.

The conduit S and the nozzle or moutl piece 7* thereof, though ofdiderent outline to suit the conditions and relations of the parts, isin cross section of the same area throughout, as is also the case withthe mouth-piece D, the latter mouth-piece below the point of admissionfrom the conduit S thereto being slightly reduced in its cross sectionalarea relative to the trunk or main conduit G to compensate for the areaof the conduit S and its nozzle, to the end that the combined crosssectional areas .of the said nozzles will be the same as the area of theconduit G, common to both. This enables both nozzles to be properlyfurnished with the desired volume of lifting and conveying air, theaction of which will be uniform throughout and to the fan E, asdistinguished from an instance where the air in other forms and devicesas may be in keeping with the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a street sweeper, a conduit, means for sweepin the material tosaid conduit, a gutter brus a hood for said gutter brush,

and a conduit leading from said hood to I the said first mentionedconduit.

2. In a street sweeper, a conduit, means for sweeping material to saidconduit, a

gutter brush, a hood for said gutter brush, and a conduit leading fromsaid hood to the said first mentioned conduit, in combination withinstrumentalities for yieldably presssaid 'utter brush toward the curbof the gutter W ile preserving operative relation, between. its hood andthe conduits.

3. In a street sweeper, a conduit, a mouth piece therefor, a brush inrear of said mouth piece, a rotary gutter brush arranged 1n advance ofthe mouth piece, a hood for said gutter brush arranged to receive aportlon of the material from the brush, and an auxiliary conduit leadingfrom said hood to said first mentioned conduit.

4. In a street sweeper, a conduit, a mouth piece therefor, a brush inrear of said mouth piece, a rotary gutter brush arranged in advance ofthe mouth piece, means for driving said gutter brush, a hood for saidgutter brush, and an auxiliary conduit leading from said hood to thefirst mentioned conduit, in combination with a suction creating devicecommon to both of said cleaners.

5. In a street sweeping machine, an exhaust fan, a conduit leadingthereto, a driven shaft, a gutter brush supported from said shaftadapted to project laterally of the machine. a hood for said brush,connections between the shaft and the brush for operatin duit leadingfrom said hood to said conduit.

6. In a street cleaning machine, the combination with a main pneumaticcleaner, of

and auxiliary pneumatic curb cleaner, 2. common operating means forcreating the volume of air for rendering effective both of saidcleaners, said operating means including the fan, a main conduit leadingthereto, and branch conduits leading to the intakes of the respectivecleaners, the combined areas of the branch conduits being uniformthroughout and of the same corresponding area as the main conduit,substantially as described.

7. In a street cleaning machine, the combination with a main pneumaticcleaner having a nozzle, of an auxiliary pneumatic curb cleanerincluding a hood portion, means for effecting the actuation of thepneumatic cleaners. and a flexible conduit leading from the hood to saidnozzle.

8. In a street cleaning machine, the combination with a main pneumaticcleaner having a nozzle, of an auxiliary pneumatic curb cleanerincluding a hood portion, means for effecting the actuation of thepneumatic cleaners, and a flexible conduit leading from the hood to saidnozzle, in combination with a brush associated with said auxiliarycleaner.

9. In a street cleaning machine, the combination with a main pneumaticcleaner having a nozzle, of an auxiliary pneumatic curb c the brush, anda flexible air con-.

cleaner including a hood portion, means for effecting the actuation ofthe pneumatic cleaners, a flexible conduit leading from said hood tosaid nozzle, and a flexible drive connection leading from the machine tothe brush of the auxiliary cleaner.

10. In a street cleaning machine, the combination with means forcreating a collectin and conveyingcurrent of air, of a movab e cleanerincludin a hood adapted to be operated laterally o the machine frame,and a flexible conduit extending from said nozzle to said collectingmeans.

11. Ina streetcleaning machine, the combination with means for creatinga collectin and conveyingcurrent of air, of a movab e cleaner includinga hood adapted to be operated laterally of the machine frame, and aflexible conduit extendin from said hood to said collecting means, incombination. with means for loosening the matter on the surface of thestreet within the range of influence of said nozzle.

12. In a street sweeper, a conduit, means for sweeping material to saidconduit from beneath the sweeper, a gutter brush, a hood for said'gutter brush, a conduit leading from said hood to the said firstmentioned conduit, in combination with instrumentalit1es for yieldablypressing said tter brush toward the curb of the gutter w ile preservingoperative relation between its hood and the conduits, and meanspermittin oscillation of the brush, substantially as escribed.

13. In a street sweeper, a conduit, means for sweeping material to saidconduit from beneath the sweeper, a gutter brush, a hood for said gutterbrush, a conduit leading from said hood to the said first mentionedconduit, in combination with instrumentalities for yieldably pressingsaid gutter brush toward the curb of the gutter while preservingoperative relation between its hood and the conduits, and meanspermittin the brush to swing, substantially as described.

14.. In a street sweeper, a conduit, means for sweeping material to saidconduit from beneath the sweeper, a gutter brush, a hood for said gutterbrush, a conduit leading from said hood to the said first mentionedconduit, in combination with instrumentalities for yieldably pressingsaid gutter brush toward the curb of the gutter while preservingoperative relation between its hood and the conduits, and meanspermitting the brush to swing and oscillate, substantially as described.

15. In a street sweeper, a conduit, means for feeding the material tosaid conduit, a gutter brush, and yieldable means normally forcin saidgutter brush outwardly.

16. n a street sweeper, a conduit, means for feeding the material tosaid conduit, a

gutter brush, and yieldable means normally for the gutter brush and aconduit leading from said hood to said first mentioned conduit.

17. In a street sweeping machine, the combination with a main pneumaticcleaner of an auxiliary pneumatic curbcleaner having a hood portion,auxiliary means for normally maintaining" the curb cleaner beyond themachine frame, means for effecting the operation of said cleaner, and aflexible eenduii: leading from the auxiliary cleaner 00 said mainpneumatic Gleaner.

w 18. lin a street sweeping machine, the cembination with a mainpneumatic cleaner, of

neaaaee an auxiliary pneumatic curh cleaner having a hood portionauxiliary means for normally maintaining the curb cleaner beyond themachine frame, means for efiecting the operation of said cleaner, and aflexible conduit leading from the auxiliary cleaner to saicl mainpneumatic cleaner, and flexible means fer eperating the auxiliarycleaner.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signaturein the presence of twoWitnesses.

BERNARD KERN. Witnesses N. WERNER,

l), Rene.

